God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.-Chapter 828: Soul Battle: Ice and Fire (2).

The moment of impact was like a collision between two opposing truths.

Ice met fire.

Blaze met Frost.

Melech looked down at the two battling creatures, an amused smile on his face.

"Interesting. How interesting indeed!"

Cain's gauntlet-clad fists met the charging head of the {Frost Sylph}, and the result was nothing short of cataclysmic.

The shockwaves tore through the fabric of the world, bending light and causing the waters below to surge violently beneath the false sky.

But Cain's body, though reinforced by the terrifying might of {Devil Wyrm: Asura}, was still that of a human. A demonized human, yes, but still vulnerable flesh and bones despite the power.

And against a creature such as this, that was not good enough.

Not nearly good enough.

He was flung back like a ragdoll, his metallic arm twisting unnaturally as he skipped across the surface of the water.

His body twisted unnaturally as he fought to maintain control, the Sunfire clinging to him desperately, fighting away the frost trying to seep into his body as he came to a violent halt on the water's surface.

Blood and pieces of broken metal fell into the waters below, painting it shades of red and gold.

Cain coughed hard, spraying frozen crimson mist into the air.

He stood firm, his eyes bloodshot as pain lanced through his arm.

'My shoulder is dislocated.' He thought to himself.

With a grim look, he popped it back in place, his eyes never leaving the {Frost Sylph's} once.

The damage he had received from just one clash was absurd.

With the Eternal Sunflame protecting him, his internal organs and body were spared from the bite of the frigid frost emitted by the beast.

But that was where the advantages ended.

The pure might that radiated from the body of the beast was something the Eternal Sunfire could do nothing about.

Broken. Multiple bones in his body had been broken, at the very least. Thanks to his improved physique though, they were rapidly healing.

However, for some reason, the regeneration of his torn arm was incredibly slow, almost non-existent.

The world spun a but, his body barely keeping up with the energy that surged through it.

He had tanked one blow.

One.

The beast hadn't even used a skill.

'What a pain.'

And there was bound to be a lot more, as from above, the {Frost Sylph} was already in motion again. It dipped and twirled with supernatural grace, wings slicing through the air without making a sound, three heads twisting in tandem like serpents. Its form shimmered with icy light, its maw glowing faintly with internal frost.

Cain didn't think. He moved.

A blur of fading flames exploded from beneath his feet as he pushed himself forward with everything he had. A sharp claw, massive and scythe-like, crashed into the spot he had just vacated. The water's surface immediately turned into ice, shattered completely into huge fragments of ice before falling back into the waters, creating pillars of water that rose meters into the sky.

Cain didn't have the time to appreciate its prowess as he was already on the move, skating on the water's surface like he was gliding through air.

The {Frost Sylph} let out a chilli screech as it followed on his tail.

It was hunting him.

Cain weaved and dodged, rapidly changing directions with incredible bursts of speed, doing anything he could to give himself even the slightest of advantages, each time narrowly avoiding death.

One of the Sylph's heads snapped toward him, icy breath forming in its throat. He raised his arm instinctively—and the breath fired.

A beam of condensed frost, so cold it burned, so bright it blinded, surged forward and hit Cain's left side.

Cain summoned multiple layers of shields and defensive spells. Despite that, the metal arm cracked instantly. His left side screamed with unbearable pain as frost dug through skin and nerves.

Although the Sunfire worked fast, it still wasn't potent enough to quickly counteract the biting frost.

Cain felt it permeate through his soul, freezing him both inside and out.

He twisted midair, the force sending him crashing into the waters with enough force to create a crater on its surface.

Cain screamed furiously.

Sunflame erupted from within him, countering the frost just enough to keep the arm from shattering. He made use of his mana to reconstruct the arm, barely keeping it in place.

But it wasn't enough to erase the damage his body suffered.

His vision blurred. Everything was spinning.

Some frost had managed to seep into his body. Because of that, one of his eyes had stopped working. His hearing was also a high-pitched ring.

"Move," he rasped to himself.

Fron on high, Melech grinned,

"Yes. If you stop moving, my darling here really will eat you."

Another head lunged.

Cain rolled through the air and felt the gust of air as it passed above him. Fangs snapped shut just inches from his face. Another head came from behind. No time to think. He kicked off the undulating waves, flipping upward, gauntlets blazing with the burning Hellflame.

He punched down with all the might he could muster.

The blow connected.

The beast shrieked, its scales singing as golden fire clung to them, eating away at their divine cold. It flailed slightly, granting him an opening.

Eyes wide with desperate glee, Cain pressed forward, landing punch after punch along its long neck, his fists trailing fire and pain.

The combined power of the Sunfire and Hellflame could not be underestimated.

In a battle involving something as delicate as souls, each clash was incredibly dangerous. Powerls like Sunfire were cheat codes, as they ensured his opponent would suffer some damage, regardless of it they were the aggressors or not.

This meant he could use it defensively or otherwise.

Pushing as much Sunflame as he could into his fists, Cain delivered a crushing blow into the {Frost Sylph's} midsection.

The beast let out a screech as plates of icy scales came falling off with lines of blue blood trailing behind and gushing from the mangled wound he had created.

Before he could swallow in the satisfaction of his revenge...

The tail came.

It hit him square in the back. The sensation was like being struck by a mountain.

Bones cracked. His body flew in a chaotic arc, blood spilling freely as he tumbled headfirst into the foamy waters.

A deep indentation was created in the waters as his body fell into the watery depths.

The world around him was still and silent.

Underneath the waves, Cain found some semblance of silence. He didn't move, allowing himself drift down further.

His body was in terrible condition now.

He had known there would be no way for him to defeat the {Frost Sylph} in a one in one battle, but this was just embarrassing.

Despite using all his skills to boost his stats and physique, he was still being handled like a ragdoll.

But at the end of the day, that was what it was. Regardless of what he desired, the numbers would remain true. His stats were just simply incomparable to that of this monster.

Cain sighed internally.

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The {Frost Sylph} glided down slowly, watching the surface of the water carefully, Observing. It didn't rush. After all, It had all the time in the world.

Cain on the other hand didn't.

He had to get out of these waters fast. Not only that, but he suddenly remembered what Melech had told him.

The {Frost Sylph} had hatched in these waters, but there were also many other creatures within this place.

And so, he had no choice but to return to the surface, slowly dragging himself out of the cold waters.

Standing above the face of the waters, his right arm now hung uselessly by his side. His spine was in terrible condition too. Breathing was becoming difficult.

Every part of him screamed to give up.

But he stood.

"Damn… damn it…" He muttered, blood trickling down his chin.

Gritting his teeth, Cain did the unthinkable. He infused his right arm with the element of metal and wrapped layers of metal sheet around his broken bones to align and hold them in place.

Beasts of tears trickled down his face due to the pain. With a desperate yell, he jumped again, launching toward the beast like a madman.

Cain twisted his body midair, narrowly evading a sweeping wing. He dove beneath one of the Sylph's heads, planting a burning fist under its jaw. It roared. Another head snapped at his shoulder, nicking him badly. He twisted, lost more blood, and kicked off the beast's flank, using its own momentum to escape.

He hit the water's surface hard, rolling to a stop. Fire wrapped around him protectively, but it was fading.

Another breath attack came. Cain let an afterimage behind dodging it. The frosty beam turned that entire area into slick ice before diving in, shattering it and creating hundreds of icy boulders.

The ice boulder shot into the air and rained after him like hail.

Cain ran furiously, dodging and evading every one of them.

'I can't keep doing this.' He thought to himself.

His mana reserves were draining fast. His regenerative magic was struggling to keep up. His limbs were slow, his thoughts lagging behind his instincts.

And the beast?

The injuries he had dealt it were slowly recovering. Since they had been dealt by the Sunfire, they weren't very easy to get rid of. Despite that, there was no change in its demeanor.

It continued stalking after him like a Hunter does its prey.

It was methodical in its approach too. Wanted to make sure he was thoroughly exhausted, his soul suffused with grief, fear and terror.

Then it would consume him.

Cain clenched his teeth. He could hear Melech's voice coming from above,

"Show me something interesting, Cain."

He had nothing to show. He was dying. And this thing… this creature…

It wasn't just stronger than him.

It was beyond him.

A loud screech filled the heavens as the {Frost Sylph} rose again, high into the sky. Light gathered around its heads, cold light. Snow began to fall. Slowly, at first.

Then faster.

He could see it in the air above, the preparation of something terrible. A massive spell, pulling power from the air, the ground, the world itself.

In a moment of desperation, Cain thought only of the best retaliation to what was coming.

'You want to see something entertaining, huh...' His eyes burned with a vicious gleam.

Cain raised his shaking hand to the sky. His soul quaked as he spoke the incantation to the spell.

He ignored the state of his body and shot into the sky.

An enormous magic circle manifested in the skies, giving the fake clouds a golden tinge.

Soon, he was high enough, even floating above the {Frost Sylph}.

The sky rippled.

'Golden Firmament.'

Dozens of golden magic circles manifested across the heavens. Then hundreds. Then thousands.

Each one pulsing with ungodly levels of mana.

Cain poured everything he had left into the spell. All the Eternal Sunfire he couymister within as well.

The circles ignited.

It was like a call of heaven. A glorious summoning of fiery hosts.

From above, blades rained down. Blades of burning gold—each one infused with the Eternal Sunfire.

The {Frost Sylph} let out a sharp, resonant screech. The world seemed to freeze over in that moment.

It spread its wings wide, and the air froze instantly. All around the battlefield, the temperature dropped so suddenly that even the ambient mana began to crystallize.

From its three mouths, a cold deluge escaped.

The snow in the air stopped falling. Then it reversed. It spiraled upward, forming into spears—millions of them.

The sky turned white.

The two spells collided.

Golden blades met frozen lances. Explosions tore through the sky as fire met ice. Shockwaves rocked the world, golden light and white frost swallowing everything in a chaotic ballet of destruction.

Cain shielded his eyes, flames wrapping around him, protecting him from the backlash.

His ears rang. His body trembled. Every bone in him wanted to give way.

The sky itself cracked.

Magic shattered in midair, blades and spears falling like rain and hail, carving into the ground, breaking stone, melting or freezing all they touched.

In that moment, Cain felt small.

Insignificant.